What is stress?
Stress is a feeling of being put under abnormal pressure. Frustrating or uncomfortable situations can change the way we behave and heighten our emotions. Symptoms include low energy, headaches, a rapid heartbeat, insomnia and frequent colds and infections.The stress hormones
When our bodies misinterpret a frustrating situation as a threat, our hypothalamus sets off an alarm system. These triggered nerve and hormonal signals prompt the adrenal glands to release stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol.Adrenaline is a hormone that increases heart rate, elevates blood pressure and boosts energy supplies. Cortisol increases glucose in the bloodstream and enhances the brain’s use of glucose. It can also alter the immune system responses. Both hormones can be exhausting and detrimental to health when a person is regularly feeling stressed.
What can we do to reduce stress?
We need to make the connection between feeling tired or ill and when we are feeling this way. We can look for physical warnings such as a headache or tense muscles and try to connect it with a moment in our day that is causing these symptoms. Then it’s a case of identifying the causes and positively working towards a solution.Tips for reducing stress:
- Yoga
- Breathwork
- Meditation
- Maintaining a healthy work life balance
- Taking regular breaks and periods of rest
- Keeping a tidy home environment
- Eating healthy, nutritious foods
- Exercising
- Reading
- Listening to relaxing music
- Reducing use of toxins
- Prioritising to-do lists
Wellbeing with Carlie Barlow
January and February 2021 breaks at our country hotels (and some coastal) offer a few days of restorative calm. They include fitness classes and meditation workshops designed by wellbeing expert Carlie Barlow to focus the mind and body, but time too for treats.